Tag Archives: cutting the cord

It’s been a bold experiment, so am sharing results after 6 months without cable TV.

A few prelims. I might not have considered cutting the cord elsewhere. In downtown Atlanta, with only an indoor digital antenna, receive all the networks and several flavors of PBS. Also their sister stations, with odds-and-odds like “Bounce” and “Antenna TV,” running old movies and sitcoms. I haven’t at all missed the movie tiers, what I believed might be sacrificed, nor a DVR, realizing I never watched most of what was recorded anyway.

The networks are stunning in raw HD, significantly cleaner than through a box. I’m disturbed visiting anyone using a converter without proper cables. Equally upsetting is when the necessary equipment is in place, then someone chooses the lower standard definition channel range.

Anyway! The unforeseen advantage has been content discovered streaming. Network favorites like “Extant” are available anytime with fewer commercials, as are “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report”. I also appreciate “Free Speech TV” and “C-Span”. Any sports I cared about, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, required only a modicum of tech savvy to configure Tor for a European IP address. There’s no shortage of content.

Although there is community Wi-Fi, for reliable streaming am still beholden to Comcast. Add Netflix and the monthly “entertainment bill” isn’t quite negligible. There are cheaper internet tiers, but am not brave enough to test them. Yet it was not only possible but preferable living without an extra remote control. Google is slowly rolling out fiber, so imagine a future where access is fast and affordable enough to kiss cable providers goodbye, with a “screw you, too.”